Winter Mountaineering Skills: 10/11th March 2012

This is an introduction to winter mountaineering. You will develop basic winter skills to enable you to tackleScottishHighlandMountains in winter conditions. This weekend course will refresh any existing winter skills and introduce winter navigation, avalanche evaluation, the use of ice axe and crampons and emergency procedures.

Your Instructors

Adele Pennington MIC

Adele has over twenty five years experience of Scottish Winter Mountaineering and in the more remote mountains around the world. She is a well known instructor whose spirit and enthusiasm never goes a miss during the Scottish winter. Her knowledge and experience of the hills surrounding Glencoe ensures she gets the best out of every winter day.

Zac Poulton

Zac’s expeditions have taken him as far a field as the Antarctic and Himalaya but as a fell runner and adventure racer he is often to be found with a map in hand in the UK’s hills looking for obscure checkpoints. An ML trainer & assessor he has taught navigation for AdventurePeaks, Glenmore Lodge, Expedition Medicine, Mountain rescue teams and the University of Cumbria.

What Level of Experience do I need?

This weekend course is for those people who have previous hill walking & climbing experience in summerand are reasonably hill fit.

Cost

£95.00 per person for the whole weekend including instruction on a ratio of 1instructor: 4 participants, an evening slide show and accommodation. It excludes food, travel, personal insurance, equipment and lift costs. Anoch Mor is £8.50, Glencoe £5.

Accommodation

Alex McIntyre Hut will be the base for this course. It is a climbing hut and therefore you will need to bring what you would normally expect to for the use of a club hut. The hut will be available for both the Friday and Saturday night. The Course will start at 8am Saturday Morning.

Course Content

To travel safely on the ScottishMountains in winter requires a whole set of skills and the

development of good judgement. Ideally located in Glencoe and within reach of Ben Nevis this

course is designed to give an introduction to those skills and to draw an awareness to the potential

hazards that comes with winter Mountaineering. If you have previous summer hill walking/climbing

experience and enjoy the challenges the mountains bring then this weekend is ideally suited for

you. Enthusiasm, persistence and a sense of humour is the make the best of Scottish Winter

Mountaineering.

Day 1 will focus on:

  • Rucksack contents and winter clothing
  • Footwork in winter
  • Use of ice axe/ ice axe arrest
  • Use of crampons/ techniques
  • Introduction to avalanche awareness/ weather and winter navigation
  • Safety on steep ground
  • Emergency procedures
  • Planning a day out in Winter
  • Evening Lecture

Day 2

  • A mountain day encompassing all of skills learnt on day one and the development of judgement.

As the conditions in Scotland dictate the course programme, the exact venue and content of the day

will be decided on the morning of the course.

Other Regularly asked Questions?

How long will we spend on the hill each day?

You can expect to spend at least 6 hours or more on the hill.

Will I be fit enough ?

If you can walk continuously uphill at a sensible pace for 2 to 3hrs with short rests then you should

be fit enough.

Will I need everything on the Kit List?

Yes good equipment and warm clothing is essential in winter. You can never have too many pairs of

Gloves.

Detailed Kit List

Rucksack: 45 litre day pack preferably without side pockets and light weight with waterproof liner.

Waterproof Jacket: Goretex or other breathable fabric waterproof with a hood big enough to fit over a helmet.

Boots compatible with crampons.

Gaiters

Waterproof trousers with full zips

Fleece Hat.

Balaclava

Gloves. Thick gloves x2 thin fleece gloves x2

Sun glasses! ( Not necessary for Norway)

Trousers: heavyweight /fleece quick drying trousers that allow good leg movement and are comfortable.

T-Shirt/Shirt/ Thermal: Made of a wicking material. Not 100% Cotton.

Fleece: Thin fleece.

Jacket: Primaloft or thick fleece.

Boots. A good boot with a vibram or equivalent sole 3 to 4 season.

Socks to wear with Boots.

Approach Shoes or trainers

Ice axe (General mountaineering axe 55cm to 65cm)

Crampons that fit boots

Ski Goggles

Water Container at least 1 litre

Flask

Head Torch and spare batteries

Hand warmers

Helmet

Map, Compass and whistle

Trekking Poles (Optional)

Camera (Optional)

Personal medication

If you have any questions about equipment please do not hesitate to contact Adele.